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Tesco is taking steps to address the issue of plastic waste as it begins a trial to remove plastic packaging from its fruit and vegetables.
We all know the struggle of walking into a supermarket to purchase fresh produce only to find it swimming in unnecessary layers of plastic wrapping, much of which cannot be recycled.
One supermarket, Tesco, is taking steps to address this issue as it begins a trial to remove plastic packaging from its fruit and vegetables.
Over the next month, Britain’s largest retailer will be undertaking the trial at its Watford and Swindon stores to remove plastic packaging from 45 foods, including avocados, bananas, apples, onions, mushrooms and peppers, where loose alternatives are available.
The announcement follows the news that the supermarket would be banning hard-to-recycle plastic packaging by 2019 and making all of its own-brand packaging fully recyclable by 2025.
Tesco’s Director of Quality Sarah Bradbury said: “We want to remove as much plastic as we can from our products, only using what is necessary to protect and preserve our food.
“We hope this trial proves popular with customers. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the results, including any impact on food waste.
“Whatever happens, we’re going to keep reducing the amount of packaging we use and ensure everything on our shelves is fully recyclable.”
In 2015 a law was bought into play that meant retailers began to charge customers 5p to purchase a single-use plastic bag. Encouragingly, since the charge was introduced, the number of plastic bags has reduced by more than 80 per cent in England, according to Government information.
Last year, Morrisons supermarket started selling fresh produce in old-style paper grocery bags, rather than the plastic ones which have become increasingly popular in recent years, as it tries to cut down on the use of plastics in store.
A London supermarket also took drastic measures to tackle the issue of plastic waste by ditching plastic packaging in its mission to become Britain’s first plastic-free supermarket.
